OLD ST. PETER'S 

OR 

The Beginnings of Catholicity 
in Baltimore 

By REV. J. ALPHONSE FREDERICK 
BEL AIR, MD. 



(Published originally in Catholic Mirror, 1906) 




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Old Saint Peter's 



OR 



The Beginnings of Catholicity in Baltimore 



By REV. J. A. FREDERICK, BEL AIR, MD. 



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OLD SAINT PETER'S 

OR 

THE BEGINNINGS OF CATHOLICITY IN BALTI- 
MOKE 

By Rev. J. A. Frederick, Bel Air, Md. 

Baltimore is so closely identified with the rise and the 
progress of the Catholic religion in the United States, that a 
narrative of the first planting of our holy faith in that city 
must be for American Catholics a matter of very general yet 
uncommon interest — not that Baltimore is entitled, as regards 
this planting, to a conspicuous rank over other places by any 
priority of time. The Church was already established nearly 
a century in Maryland before Baltimore was founded; but it 
is, nevertheless, the peculiar glory of that city to have given "a 
local habitation and a name" to the primary see of the Union, 
and to have become, as it were, a second Rome for our Republic. 

From the inauguration of that see till now, Baltimore has 
among us, in matters pertaining to the Church, enjoyed a 
prominence altogether unique, and exercised an influence well 
nigh supreme. To the establishment of the American hierarchy, 
more than to all other causes, are we to ascribe the vigorous 
growth and the marvelous spread of the Church in this country 
of ours. That sacred hierarchy had its rise in the person of 
the illustrious Doctor John Carroll, first bishop of Baltimore; 
here, under the favor of God's blessing, the tiny mustard seed 
found kindly soil and zealous care; here it flourished and 
developed into a mighty tree whose salutary branches now cover 
the length and breadth of the land. 

The First Mass. 

The offering of the Adorable Sacrifice is ever with us the 
starting point in the history of religion in a place. Respecting 

354 



OLD ST. PETER'S 355 

Baltimore, we must admit that the beginnings of Catholicity 
are shrouded in obscurity. We have no sure record at hand to 
inform us when, and where, and by whom, the first Mass was 
said, either on the original site of the town prior to its erection, 
or afterward in the village. We can therefore form only con- 
jectures and surmises, and rest these on very meager evidence, 
since reliable data seem to be for the most part wanting. 

It was on March 25, 1634, that the Maryland pilgrims 
landed and settled in the southern part of the province, as con- 
tiguously as possible to their fellow countrymen in the colony 
of Virginia. The settling of the land to the northward was 
very gradual, and almost a hundred years passed before the 
town of Baltimore, being laid off January, 1730, was begun. 
The location selected was on the north side of the Patapsco 
Kiver, upon land belonging to the brothers Charles and Daniel 
Carroll. The act of Assembly designated the site as "on and 
about the place where John Fleming now lives, and commonly 
known by the name of Cole's Harbour." 

Charles and Daniel Carroll were the sons of the Catholic 
immigrant Charles Carroll, attorney general under Charles 
Calvert, the third Lord Baltimore; and they had come into 
possession of Cole's Harbor by their father, who acquired the 
tract as early as the year 1701. Daniel, known also as he of 
Duddington, died in 1734. Charles, the survivor, was generally 
known as Charles Carroll of Annapolis, Esq. He was the 
father of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the signer of the Decla- 
ration of Independence. 

Of John Fleming, who then lived on the southwestern part 
of Cole's Harbor, very little is known beyond the fact that he 
was a tenant of the Carrolls. In the court records of Baltimore 
County for the year 1724, mention is made of a "John Fleming 
now in the seventy-fifth year of his life, of which he has spent 
a great part in this country and paid his taxes ; he is, moreover, 
burthened with a family," and hence he petitions to be levy free. 
This is probably the same person as the one mentioned before, 
and whose dwelling — seemingly the only house standing on 
the original site — is commonly believed to have stood near 



356 OLD ST. PETER'S 

what is now the intersection of Charles and Lombard streets. 
A wagon-road, doubtless an old Indian trail, ran close to this 
habitation, and was generally known as the Great Eastern Road, 
corresponding somewhat with the present location of South 
Sharp Street, from Baltimore Street to Lombard Street, and 
beyond. 

John Fleming was presumably of Irish origin and probably 
also a Catholic. The Carrolls, being devout Catholics, were 
known to befriend their co-religionists; and this fact, coupled 
with the name "Fleming," affords at least a strong hint in favor 
of the Catholicism of their tenant. If he, then, and the inmates 
of his house were members of the Church, it is certainly not 
beyond the bounds of legitimate conjecture to suppose that they 
were at times visited by the priest, who on his circuit at Easter 
time, for instance, or on a special errand, as on the occasion of 
a marriage or of a death in the family, would arrange for a 
celebration of Mass in the house — a thing which is by no 
means of rare occurrence even now in some of our sparsely 
settled regions. 

The Great Eastern Road, as remarked before, ran close by 
the house of the tenant. This highway was the main road from 
the west, as then understood, and through the country generally. 
Its southern branch led up directly from Port Tobacco, an old 
Indian town on the Potomac River. Passing northward 
through Upper-Marlboro, it afterward joined the branch com- 
ing eastward from Belhaven, now Alexandria, Va., and thence 
directed its course still eastward to Annapolis, where again its 
trend was northerly and toward Cole's Harbor, or the location 
of Baltimore. Here the deep waters of the Patapsco inter- 
vening, a considerable detour had to be made, until the river 
could be forded at the falls near Elk Ridge Landing; thence 
the road descended to the mouth of Ferry Branch or Gwynn's 
Falls, since become a part of Baltimore. From the locality of 
Baltimore the road now ran northeasterly to Joppa, to Old Bal- 
timore, to the location of Havre de Grace on the Susquehanna, 
and thence to ISTew Castle on the Delaware, and to Philadelphia. 

On this great thoroughfare the early Jesuit missionaries 



OLD ST. PETER'S 357 

probably traveled to and fro in response to the call of duty, 
There were Catholics settled in Baltimore County, notably on 
Deer Creek, twenty years before Baltimore Town sprang into 
existence; and although these children of the Church had the 
Bread of Life broken to them in somewhat later times by priests 
coming from the eastern shore of Maryland, yet in the begin- 
ning, may not the first visiting Fathers have set out on their 
journey from points on or near the Great Eastern Road, such 
as Port Tobacco, or St. Thomas' Manor, or Annapolis ? In 
such a case the house of John Fleming would have been a con- 
venient stopping-place over night, and the reverend traveler 
would hardly have resumed his journey on the morrow without 
first offering up the Adorable Sacrifice. 

Thus although the grounds for our conjecture that Holy 
Mass was celebrated on the site of Baltimore even before the 
erection of the town are slender, yet the presumption is not 
wholly devoid of a reasonable basis. 

But how soon after the erection of the town may we suppose 
Holy Mass to have been said? On the list of primitive lot- 
holders there appear but two names borne by Catholics, that of 
Charles Carroll, Esq., the original owner of the site, and that 
of a near relation of the Carrolls, Mr. John Digges, Sr. Mr. 
Carroll is not known to have resided in the town, but Mr. Digges 
may have dwelt there for some length of time since there is 
evidence to show that he bought a lot on South Street, designated 
on the original plat as Xo. 54, built thereon, and held possession 
until the year 1748. 

This gentleman was also the owner of an immense tract of 
land in the fertile and beautiful valley of the Conewago, then in 
the northern part of Baltimore County, but since the running 
of the Mason and Dixon line accounted as belonging to Penn- 
sylvania. Here, in the vicinity of Hanover, he established a 
settlement, and thence built a road to Baltimore Town. This 
was as early as 1736, and Digges' Wagon Road, as it was then 
called, is now known as Pennsylvania Avenue within the city 
limits, and beyond, as the Reisterstown Turnpike. In passing, 
it may be of interest to note that West Lexington Street, from 



358 OLD ST. PETER'S 

Charles Street to Liberty Street, was originally called Cone- 
wago Street, and Clay Street was known as Wagon Lane, pre- 
sumably in connection with this highway. 

Mr. Digges had his sons, notably Dudley Digges, charged 
with his interests at Conewago, but he is not known to have 
himself resided in the settlement ; his own home may have been, 
as remarked before, in Baltimore. In this conjectural home 
Holy Mass may have been said, but unfortunately we have no 
positive proof of it thus far. 

Some facts, however, bearing on this subject must not be 
omitted. Two Jesuit Fathers, supposed relatives of Mr. Digges, 
were in Maryland as early as the year 1741, namely Rev. 
Thomas Digges and Rev. John Digges. The latter was known 
as John Digges, Jr., while Mr. Digges, the road-builder, is in- 
variably styled John Digges, Sr. This manner of identification 
points evidently to a close relationship, such as parent or uncle ; 
and if the reverend missionary had either father or uncle then 
living in Baltimore, what was more natural than for him to 
make a call now and then, and on the occasion of such visits to 
offer the Holy Sacrifice ? For it was quite usual in those days 
for the missionaries to celebrate in private houses and in the 
midst of the family circle. To add, as it were, some color of 
truth to this supposition, an old manuscript catalogue of the 
Jesuits states expressly that Rev. John Digges died in Balti- 
more, December 3, 1746. But as this priest attended the Deer 
Creek Mission in Baltimore County about this time, it is highly 
probable that not the town but the county is designated. 

The Acadians and Mass in Fottrei/l Building. 

But when do we meet with data more reliable ? All writers 
on the subject are agreed that there must have been some cele- 
bration of the divine mysteries soon after the arrival of the 
Acadians, or French Neutrals, as they were commonly called. 
These Catholics, about two hundred in number, had been de- 
ported from Acadia, the present Nova Scotia, and landed in 
Baltimore in the winter of 1755-56. Griffith, who is generally 



OLD ST. PETER'S 359 

accurate and the first author known to the writer to broach the 
subject, says in his "Annals of Baltimore" that some of those 
unfortunate exiles were "quartered in Mr. Fotter all's (sic) de- 
serted house, in which they erected a temporary chapel." As 
may be observed, no date is assigned by the cautious annalist 
to the improvised chapel, though one is free to infer that the 
arrangement for divine services was made very soon after the 
Erench exiles had taken possession of the deserted house. 

B. U. Campbell, whose contributions to the Church's local 
history are highly valued, wrote later than Griffith, and he 
furnishes some interesting details. "Here (in Fottrell's 
house)," says he, "it is believed the holy sacrifice of the Mass 
was first offered in Baltimore. The priest who was stationed 
at the Manor occasionally visited Baltimore and celebrated 
Mass." Finally, on the authority of a gentleman, who, he tells 
us, was one of the little congregation in Baltimore in 1768, he 
adds : "The Eev. Mr. Ashton, who at that period was the resi- 
dent priest of Carroll Manor, visited Baltimore once a month," 
etc. The careful reader will take note that Campbell does not 
state "positively when and where the first Holy Mass was offered 
in Baltimore. He says simply, it is believed to have been at 
that time, and in that house; for in truth it may have been 
earlier and elsewhere as already shown in this article. 

The Fiest Peiest. 

With, greater assurance, however, Campbell designates the 
priest stationed at Doughoregan Manor as the first officiating 
minister. This, it would seem, can not be admitted without 
some reserve and further explanation. It may, indeed, be 
questioned if there was a priest residing at the Manor so early 
as the year 1756 ; in fact very few of the clergy resided there 
at any time. The home of the Carrolls was at Annapolis, where 
the family had a chapel and apparently also a domestic chaplain 
from a very early day. The mansion at Doughoregan seems to 
have been used rather for a summer residence; yet it is quite 
possible that the- chaplain may have accompanied the family in 



360 OLD ST. PETER'S 

the summer of 1756, and may have, as Campbell tells us, pro- 
ceeded from the Manor to Baltimore Town at the pious sum- 
mons of the forlorn Acadians. 

But cautiously as one may grant this much, it can not be 
further conceded that the chaplain at that period was the Rev. 
Mr. Ashton, if by that name we are to understand Father John 
Ash ton, and by that period, the year 1756, since it is known 
with certainty that Mr. Ashton was, at the time mentioned, but 
fourteen years of age, not ordained, of course, and not yet come 
into the country. Not till twelve years later do we hear of him 
as on the missions of Maryland. Are we, then, to suppose that 
no missionary attended Baltimore before the landing of Father 
Ashton? Such a supposition can hardly be admitted. The 
numerous body of French Catholics was certainly not left those 
many years without religious consolation; and furthermore, as 
we know, other children of the Church were beginning to take 
up their residence in town. 

Thomas Scharf, in his "History of Baltimore City and 
County," makes note of a school opened in the village in 1757, 
by Mary Ann March, a Catholic, and shows that many scholars 
were taken from the Protestant schoolmaster and forthwith sent 
to the new school. Now this successful school-mistress would 
hardly have ventured upon such an enterprise without the pro- 
spective aid or promised support of her co-religionists, who 
must, therefore, as we think, have been at hand. Finally, as 
we shall see later on more fully, the first church property owned 
by Catholics in town, was bought as early as June, 1764, three 
years before Father Ashton' s immigration. 

What Father, then, if not Ashton, attended the Acadians 
and other Catholics in Baltimore in those early days \ The 
writer is at loss to tell, for the answer will depend greatly upon 
first ascertaining the mission or locality whence the Reverend 
Father came, and this is still in dispute. 

Deer Creek, about thirty miles northeast of Baltimore, was 
at that period a missionary station in Baltimore County, and 
of it mention has been made already in connection with Rev. 
John Digges, Jr., who is supposed to have died there in 1746. 



OLD ST. PETER'S 361 

Father Digges was succeeded by Rev. Bennett Neale, S.J., a 
grandson of Captain James Neale, a brother also of Rev. Henry 
Neale, S.J., and a great uncle of Archbishop Neale. This 
Father, who was for nearly a quarter of a century in charge of 
the Deer Creek Mission, may have attended Baltimore, but in 
spite of some vague tradition in favor of Deer Creek, there are 
no convincing proofs at hand. The missionary's residence, built 
about 1741, and once known as a Priest Neale's Mass House," 
is still standing, about six miles north of Bel Air, Md., is in a 
good state of preservation and is inhabited to-day. Its locality 
is still known as Priestford, and the Great Eastern Road, spoken 
of and described before, was not very distant. Rev. Bennett 
Neale's missionary circuit is known to have included, at least 
for a time, the Conewago Settlement, which lay distant about 
forty miles toward the northwest, whence also one could have 
traveled to Baltimore Town by Digges' Wagon Road. Of the 
extent of his circuit southward we know, unfortunately, almost 
nothing ; yet it must have taken in Joppa, then the county seat, 
and all that region contiguous on Bush and Gunpowder rivers. 
Scharf, in his "History of Baltimore City and County," speak- 
ing of the primitive days of the Church in Baltimore, refers to 
Father Neale, but says nothing of his ministering there. 

It is possible that the mission house of the Jesuit Fathers at 
Bohemia in Cecil County, Md., supplied the missionary for 
Baltimore, for the journey could have been made very readily 
by boat across the waters of the bay. Indeed, at one time the 
writer nattered himself that he had come upon the very data 
requisite for proof. In an old journal of accounts, once kept 
at Bohemia, he discovered some entries which seemed to point 
to Rev. John Lewis, S.J., as the man beyond all doubt. Here 
are the items : "Expended by Rev. Mr. Lewis on a journey to 
Baltimore, 9 shillings." This entry was made in 1753. Three 
years later appear two other items, both recorded under the 
same date, namely June 11, 1756. "To traveling expenses to 
Baltimore, 10 shil. 10J4 pence." "To ye French Neutral, 11 
shil. 3 pence." At first sight this looked like very satisfactory 
evidence in favor of a sacred ministration in Baltimore Town 



362 OLD ST. PETER'S 

by the gifted and saintly Father Lewis, afterward vicar-general 
of the Catholic clergy in Maryland, and their first choice for 
the post of administrator-general. But upon reflection it seemed 
more reasonable to put a different construction on the wording. 
The entries read Baltimore and not Baltimore Town, as the 
village on the basin of the Patapsco was then commonly called. 
The county, then, and not the town, is meant, and the name of 
the county in turn stands for the mission within its borders, 
namely Deer Creek. The following entry in the same journal 
makes this quite plain: "David, formerly (Rev.) Mr. Neale's 
negro at Deer Creek in Baltimore, etc." Father Neale was, 
then, residing at Deer Creek, Baltimore County. 

As for "ye French Neutral," it must be borne in mind that 
about five hundred of these wretched exiles had also been taken 
up the Delaware bay the previous November, and probably it 
was one of these who found his way to Father Lewis at Bohemia 
to become the object of his bounty. Before parting finally with 
Bohemia and Father Lewis, it must be admitted that the com- 
bination in that old journal, of "Baltimore," "French Neutral," 
and "1756," as it stands on the same page, is a singular and 
striking coincidence, to say the least. Still, such things occur 
constantly in the experience of every investigator. Data, like 
other sublunary things, turn out to be not what they seem, and 
the sweet fruit of assured success that lured you on is changed 
into a bitter morsel of disappointment. 

Search in northern Maryland, then, fails to furnish our 
coveted prize — the name of that missionary who attended Bal- 
timore Town in the days following closely upon the arrival of 
the Acadians. We must, hence, extend our inquiry in other 
directions. 

Fifteen miles due west of the Monumental City, in a region 
once commonly known as Elk Ridge, and of which the present 
"Landing" is but a reminiscence, is situated the old plantation 
home of the Carrolls — Doughoregan Manor — with its ancient 
mansion house and chapel still standing and in use. Here 
Charles Carroll of Carrollton and others of his kin lie buried. 
The mansion in part at least dates back to the year 1717, and 



OLD ST. PETER'S 363 

it is highly probable that the chapel also in some form, if not 
in its present one, has existed from approximately as remote a 
period. From this ancient shrine, if we are to give credence 
to the tradition recorded by Campbell, Rev. Mr. Ashton wended 
his way to Baltimore Town, and held divine service in the un- 
finished and abandoned Fottrell building, where some of the 
Acadians had found a temporary refuge. 

This tradition, though certainly at fault as regards Rev. 
Mr. Ashton, who had not yet arrived in the country, nor even 
been ordained, ought not perhaps to be rashly and wholly 
rejected. May it not be that, by reason of some similarity of 
sound or appearance two names have become confounded, and 
that the more recent and popular one has usurped the place of 
the older and true one ? Substitute Ashbey for Ashton, and the 
chief difficulty that had confronted us is at once removed; for 
in our supposed year — the year 1756 — Rev. James Ashbey 
was not only in Maryland, but was the Superior of the missions ; 
the very man, therefore, to whom the extraordinary case of the 
two hundred Catholic exiles would very probably be Erst sub- 
mitted. And what more natural than that he, the Superior, 
should interest himself in the matter and come in person to 
arrange for and begin the holy work of ministration among the 
poor outcasts? Whether he continued his personal ministra- 
tion for any length of time can not be decided, but as his own 
home was on the Potomac River, at St. Thomas' Manor in 
Charles County, he probably appointed some missionary who 
had a nearer residence. That this was actually at Doughoregan 
can not be affirmed with certainty ; yet it would appear that the 
same Father who ministered at Doughoregan also officiated in 
Baltimore, hence the long association of Carroll's Manor with 
the first Catholic congregation in town. 

But how shall we account for the name Ashton supplanting 
that of Ashbey? In the first place, Father Ashbey, like many 
of the early missionaries, had two surnames ; he was known not 
only as Mr. Ashbey, but also as Mr. Middlehurst. This of 
itself would lead to confusion. Then again, he passed away 
early from the scene of his labors, dying in September 1767, 



364 OLD ST. PETER'S 

that is, forty-eight years before the demise of Father Ashton. 
The latter was a man of brilliant parts. He held the important 
post of procurator-general for eighteen years, and in the dis- 
charge of that office he must not infrequently have come to 
Baltimore on business relating to the Church. He even may 
have regularly officiated in the town the first years after his 
arrival on the missions. Thus his name became only too ex- 
clusively identified with the primitive days of the Church in 
the place. Finally, it is evident that Campbell gathered much 
of his information not from original sources, but from hearsay, 
and hence was liable to fall into error. 

Our last claimant for the honor of having in the beginning 
supplied Baltimore Town with the service of a priest is White 
Marsh. This mission is situated in Prince George's County, 
near the confluence of the Big and Little Patuxent. It is dis- 
tant from Baltimore about thirty-two miles, from Doughoregan 
Chapel about twenty-five miles, and from Annapolis fourteen 
miles. About its early history little is definitely known. The 
land is said to have been acquired about 1724. In 1748 Father 
Bobert Harding is set down in the catalogue of missionaries as 
laboring in Prince George's County, which seems to indicate 
a residence already established at White Marsh. Shea remarks : 
" White Marsh is said to have been founded, but was probably 
revived, in 1760." All this obscurity militates against its 
claim. On the other hand there are some things which are most 
favorable. 

According to a memorandum furnished the writer and taken 
from "The Mirror" of July 25, 1874, "Father Haspin from 
White Marsh was the first priest to say Mass in Baltimore." 
But there is no Father Haspin to be found on the list of early 
missionaries. The nearest approach to the name is Harding, 
Bev. Bobert Harding, mentioned before. He, however, left 
Maryland about 1750, to reside in Philadelphia. 

On June 4, 1764, Bev. George Hunter purchased the first 
Catholic church property in Baltimore. The deed of convey- 
ance mentions him as of Prince George's County, in other 
words, of White Marsh. His location there, however, could 



OLD ST. PETER'S 365 

have been only temporary, for being the Superior at the time, 
his regular residence must have been at St. Thomas' Manor, 
Charles County. But, be that as it may, we have here clearly 
a link between White Marsh and Baltimore, and one suggesting, 
in a manner, some previous relationship. Father William P. 
Treacy (Catalogue of Early Jesuits in Maryland) tells us that 
"Rev. Bernard Diderick attended Baltimore and Elk Ridge 
from 1775 to 1784," but says nothing of his residence. If this 
clergyman did not make his home at Elk Ridge with the Car- 
rolls, then his nearest mission-house would be White Marsh, 
and the most likely dwelling-place for him. Finally, among 
the Jesuits themselves, they at least who have given the subject 
some special thought, there seems to be an opinion more or less 
general — a family tradition, so to speak — in favor of the 
claims of White Marsh. And in fact, if it be permissible to 
identify with White Marsh, as probably we ought, the two Car- 
roll chapels, the one at Annapolis and the other at Doughor- 
egan Manor, then its claims are easily superior to those of any 
rival. 

And now to sum up : With the meager data that we possess 
at present, we have been able to form some plausible con- 
jectures, forsooth, but to reach no sure and definite conclusion. 
We shall need more light and clearer proof before we can an- 
nounce with any assurance who was the first priest to offer the 
holy sacrifice of the Mass in Baltimore, and who were the 
missionaries after him that attended the faithful before the 
appointment of Rev. Bernard Diderick in 1775. All that we 
can say is, that before the year 1730, perhaps some traveling 
missionary, like Father Joseph Greaton, officiated in some 
private house on the original site of Baltimore, and that after- 
ward, perhaps, in the town the same was done successively by 
Father John Digges, Jr., Father Robert Harding, Father James 
Ashbey, Father George Hunter, Father John Ashton. To these 
conjectured names might, moreover, be added those of Father 
Bennett Neale, and of Father John Lewis, and a place assigned 
to them between the names of Fathers Harding and Ashbey. 



366 OLD ST. PETER'S 

Church Records. 

When we bear in mind that the Catholic Church, here in 
Maryland, is coeval with the first founding of the colony, that 
the labors of her priests date back to the very day of the arrival 
of the Ark and the Dove and the landing of the pilgrims, we 
are surprised to find the records of those many years so scanty 
and few. Comparatively little has come down to us from the 
past regarding the early missionaries themselves, their various 
fields of labor, and the work which they accomplished. 

This dearth of historical data is owing to various causes. 
Throughout nearly the whole of the Colonial Period the open 
exercise of our holy religion was proscribed by law, and what- 
ever was done in this respect had to be done in quiet and 
secrecy. Many of the Fathers had aliases, or double names, 
by which they were known. Little was committed to writing, 
and of course nothing or next to nothing was published by 
them. Where accounts are given the records are obscure, and 
at times purposely disguised. Few records were kept of bap- 
tisms, marriages, and burials. Common prudence may have 
dissuaded therefrom, or, what is equally probable, the mission- 
aries being so few in numbers, their charges so very extensive 
and laborious, had little time to make, and slight convenience 
to preserve, such records. They were almost constantly in the 
saddle, and the sacraments were administered and the sacred 
offices performed here, there, and everywhere, with but little 
chance for jotting down a record. Even where we know registers 
to have been kept, they are in many instances no longer to be 
found, having been lost by one or another of the accidents to 
which such frail material is liable. Specially deplorable are 
the many losses occasioned by fire. Such an accident, about 
1851, destroyed the sacristy of Doughoregan Chapel, and with 
it the registers and papers kept there. 

And yet, in spite of all that has just been said, there is still 
on hand a mass of documentary matter, which is even now 
awaiting the patient research and elaboration of the historian 
to make our local annals replete with the narration of deeds 




^: 






OLD ST. PETER'S 367 

and events, which by turn will challenge our admiration and 
edify our souls, touch our sympathies or provoke our just in- 
dignation, make us feel proud of our Catholic heritage and 
raise our hands to heaven in thanksgiving or, perhaps, hang 
our heads in confusion. But a better day is already dawning. 
The Jesuits at Georgetown are establishing a chair of Colonial 
History in their university, and before long Baltimore must 
have its Catholic Historical Society, for the times are at length 
ripe for it. 

Eirst Church Property. 

The fourth day of June 1764, will be forever a red-letter 
day for the Catholics of Baltimore. On that day Rev. George 
Hunter, S.J., purchased from Charles Carroll of Annapolis, 
Esq., the lot, number one hundred and fifty-seven (157) in 
Baltimore Town, and paid him in hand six pounds sterling 
money. This was the first property acquired by the Church in 
the Catholic metropolis, a quarter of a century only before the 
erection of the see of Baltimore. 

The deed of conveyance is not found recorded in the City 
Land Office, and it was only after a long and persistent search 
that the writer was fortunate to find a copy of the document at 
Annapolis. Father George Hunter was at the date of the pur- 
chase Superior of the missions, and according to the indenture 
a resident of Prince George's County; which would seem to 
indicate that he was then, at least temporarily, living at White 
Marsh. Charles Carroll, Esq., was not he of Carrollton, but 
the latter' s father, also known as he of Doughoregan. Lot 
!NTo. 157 was situated not on Charles Street, as it is sometimes 
erroneously stated, but on Little Sharp and Saratoga streets, 
that is, at their intersection. Little Sharp was then known as 
Eorest Street, and Saratoga as North West Street. On these 
grounds stood the first Catholic Church edifice erected in Balti- 
more. Its site is now occupied by the old Calvert Hall building, 
a large brick structure with Gothic front and high stone steps, 
the property at present of ex-Governor Brown. Directly across 
Little Sharp Street, west, is the present Royal Arcanum build- 



368 OLD ST. PETER'S 

ing, and diagonally across Saratoga Street, southwestward, is 
the Hotel Eennert. That additional part of the property, after- 
ward known to be situated on the corner of Charles and Sara- 
toga streets and extending toward Little Pleasant Street, was 
Lot No. 156, an adjoining lot acquired very many years later 
by Archbishop Carroll from Charles Carroll of Carrollton. 

Lot No. 157 was, at the date of its purchase, the extreme 
northwest angle or limit of the town land; and Forest Street 
(Little Sharp) forming then the western outskirt or boundary 
line of the town, rose grandly up the hill, not a mere lane or 
alley as now, but a broad thoroughfare, like Liberty Street 
close by, and with a width four times that to which Little Sharp 
has been narrowed. The location was the most elevated in the 
village and the spot, one might say, ideal. About it and beyond, 
stretching to north and west, was the primeval forest with its 
varied species of finest timber, superb trees, for which the 
environs of Baltimore are still famed. On the horizon, toward 
the setting sun in summer, the eye might have discerned a break 
or cleft in the forest, where Digges' lumbering wagon-road 
emerged; and, perchance, the eye might have detected at the 
same time, hard by, a clearing where stood the "One Mile 
House" or tavern, destined to be turned some years after into 
the hallowed home and pious halls of learning of "the French 
Gentlemen" — the Sulpician St. Mary's Seminary. Following 
the horizon thence southward, you might have espied at a 
greater distance Mount Clare and perhaps caught a glimpse 
even of the splendid mansion of Charles Carroll, Barrister ; and 
yet farther beyond, you might have seen the dense smoke rising 
from the Baltimore Iron Works, built by the Carrolls and 
Taskers at the mouth of Gwynn's Falls. Directly before you, 
as in a vast amphitheater, lay now in all its pristine beauty the 
shimmering Patapsco with its well-known early divisions — ■ 
Spring Garden, Basin, and Harbor. To the left, at the harbor's 
front, you viewed Fell's Point — as yet but a land of promise 
— with only a very few straggling houses to arrest attention, 
but in due time, though the years pass slowly, to be honored 
with the distinction of possessing the second Catholic temple, 



OLD ST. PETER'S 369 

St. Patrick's. Below your gaze, still looking eastward but 
farther to the left, there looms up Jones Town or Old Town, 
already a compact settlement on the left bank of the Falls. And 
now, too, but closer to one's feet, you looked down upon the 
winding stream, known as the "Falls," and upon the "Marsh- 
land" and the "Meadow," and to your attentive ear might even 
then rise the song of the boatman, as he poled or steered his 
laden barge through the great loop of the Falls, at the foot of 
the very hill whereon you were standing. 

Above that rocky bank, just where the stream curved 
farthest southward, Edward Fottrell had built, but never com- 
pleted, the house which for a time afforded shelter to some 
Acadians, and even to the blessed Lord in His sacrificial 
presence. It stood near the northwest corner of Calvert and 
Fayette streets, but had probably now already disappeared. 
Beyond that point southward, but close by, ran the one long 
street of the town — Market or Baltimore Street — then, as 
now, the main thoroughfare. Its scattered, irregularly-lined 
houses dotted the way from the "Marsh" to the great gully near 
Forest (now Sharp) Street, where it was crossed by the Great 
Eastern Road, an oldtime Indian trail, as said before, and now 
only a partially cleared wagon road, but already the forerunner 
of the National Pike and of the great eastern and western 
trunk lines. Sidling up the hill directly toward you this road 
approached within hallooing distance and having formed, as 
may be supposed, a junction with the wagon-road from Cone- 
wago, it descended the steep declivity which faced the great 
loop of the Falls on its western bank. 

But beautiful as was the panorama spread out before one's 
gaze, one could not have helped pronouncing the spot deserted 
and lonely, for few and sparse were the buildings in its neigh- 
borhood. No residence north or west; a very few, perhaps, at 
the foot of the hill, on Conewago (now West Lexington) Street ; 
one residence on North West (now Saratoga) Street, corner of 
Charles ; across Charles Street a small house of worship belong- 
ing to the German Presbyterians; down Charles Street near 
New Church (now East Lexington) Street, on the left hand, 



370 OLD ST. PETER'S 

old St. Paul's Church, and opposite to it, on the right, the little 
red hip-roofed parsonage; and thence down the street all the 
way to Market Street not another dwelling. Beyond Market 
Street, near Lombard Street, was "French Town" — the little 
settlement of the Acadians. 

In spite, then, of the beauty and the prominence of the 
location, the purchase of 1764 must have been for not a few 
years ill suited for the residents of the town, since the majority 
of the people lived at a considerable distance, and the high 
sand-hill was hard to climb, both summer and winter. 

First Chapel. 

The newly purchased lot seems to have lain idle for some 
years before any attempt was made to erect a building thereon ; 
yet, meanwhile, it may have been used already as a place for 
Christian burial. The Fottrell building could not have served 
long for a chapel, and the celebration of Mass having ceased 
there, the faithful were, no doubt, accustomed to assemble in 
some private home, possibly at Mr. Richard Whelan's, according 
to an old tradition. In the year 1770, however, the Catholics 
of the town began to bestir themselves, and, says Griffith, 
"Messrs. (John) MeNabb, (Robert) Walsh, (William) Sten- 
son, (Michael or Peter) Houk, (John) Hillen, (Henry) Brown 
and (Richard) Whelan with the French emigrants and others 
. . . erected a part of St. Peter's Chapel." 

The site selected for this primitive part was the northwest 
corner of the lot, which was also the point most elevated. The 
building, it seems, fronted on Forest (Little Sharp) Street, 
which having not yet been contracted to a narrow lane as now, 
was considered more eligible than Saratoga Street. Moreover 
the nature of the site, and the ancient practice of facing east- 
ward at worship, favored the orientation. The dimensions of 
the edifice are said to have been twenty-five by thirty feet ; the 
style was that of a plain two-story residence with high gables, 
and the material was the common red brick. Outwardly there 
was nothing to distinguish this structure as a church or chapel 



OLD ST. PETER'S 371 

and, in fact, it could not well have been thus fashioned at the 
time, for the law prohibited Catholics from having any public 
house of worship, Mass and all other religious services being 
tolerated only in the privacy, as it were, of the domestic 
circle. 

Slow was the progress made in building, and before the 
completion of the edifice the promoters of the enterprise became 
insolvent and a suit was entered in chancery for a debt of 217 
pounds current money, that is, about $575 ; no insignificant 
amount in the eyes of our impecunious ancestors, though to us 
the sum may appear rather trivial. 

For want of other defendant the case was entered on the 
docket of the March term of court 1773, as against Francis 
Laurentius Ganganelli, that is, the then reigning Roman Pon- 
tiff, Clement XIV. The plaintiff was John McNabb, who, be 
it observed, brought suit not in his own behalf, but "for the use 
of the assignees/' as stated on the docket. Henry Brown, mer- 
chant, Baltimore Town, furnished special bail. The docket 
also shows that "a short note (had been) filed, and a copy 
sent," and that "both writ and copy (were) to be set up at the 
door of the Roman Catholic chapel and at the courthouse door." 
The case dragged on through several terms of court. The writ 
citing Francis Laurentius Ganganelli was returned "Non Est," 
and finally, in 1774, the case was "struck off (the docket) by 
order of the plaintiff's attorney." 

This was indeed a singular case and Griffith does not hesitate 
to pronounce the sueing of the Pope ludicrous ; and so it must 
naturally strike one at first sight. But may it not be that at 
that particular juncture there was apparently none else to 
proceed against in due form with any show of caution? The 
Catholic congregation was not a body recognized by law; the 
attendant priest, being a Religious, was only the agent of his 
order or society; and that society was itself just then on the 
very eve of its dissolution. As an expediency, then, and a last 
resort the suit of "McNabb versus Ganganelli" is not so lu- 
dicrous as impious. 

Even in its unfinished state, we are told, divine services 



372 OLD ST. PETER'S 

had been already held in the new edifice, but during the 
progress of the suit, and probably for some time thereafter, the 
church remained closed and the congregation, so Griffith tells 
us, assembled in a private house on South Charles Street. It 
is to be regretted that we possess nothing more definite upon 
this point ; but as the French were settled mostly in that quarter 
of the town, we may suppose that some good family like the 
Golds or the Gutteraus offered the use of their house for the 
accommodation of the little flock. 

Who was the priest in charge is not known for certain, as 
we have already seen. Possibly, or even probably, it was 
Father John Ashton ; for if he ever ministered in Baltimore, it 
must have been about this period. In November 1767, he is 
believed to have arrived from Europe, having been shortly be- 
fore ordained a priest of the Society of Jesus. He had been a 
fellow student with John Carroll, the future bishop, and if 
there was actually no relationship between them, there was at 
least a genuine friendship, though Ashton was considerably 
younger. Born in Ireland in 1742, he was but twenty-five 
years of age when he began his missionary labors in Maryland. 
His first appointment on the missions is not known, but in 
1772 he is reported as being a resident of Anne Arundel 
County, which would seem to indicate that he lived with the 
Carrolls, either at Annapolis or at Doughoregan Manor, this 
latter place being then, prior to the formation of Howard 
County, also in Anne Arundel. From either home he could 
easily reach Baltimore Town, carrying with him, according to 
the reports, the sacred vestments and other requisites for the 
Holy Sacrifice. In 1773, he was appointed to White Marsh 
in Prince George's County, there to begin his long pastorate of 
twenty-nine years. 

Father Ashton was in many ways a remarkable man, but 
he was noted especially for his administrative ability. When 
the Catholic missionaries of Maryland and Pennsylvania under- 
took, in 1784, to form a corporate body — "Ye Body of ye 
Clergy" — he was elected procurator-general, which office he 
held for eighteen years. He was also one of the first directors 



OLD ST. PETER'S 373 

of Georgetown College. With Very Rev. John Carroll and 
Rev. Robert Molyneux, he formed a committee to draft the 
petition for a bishop, which was sent to Rome, and with them 
he signed the document. The sermon at the close of the first 
synod of Baltimore, Nov. 7, 1791, was delivered by him. 
Everywhere, indeed, he seems to have taken a prominent part. 

In such of his letters as the writer had an opportunity of 
perusing, only one slight allusion is to be found connecting 
Father Ashton with Baltimore. Writing in 1801, to Bishop 
Carroll, he says: "I built the house in which you sleep." But, 
inasmuch as this part of the presbytery may have been erected 
after he had become procurator-general, his words may mean 
simply that he furnished the means for building. 

Though the suit against the Pope had been withdrawn, it 
appears the chapel remained closed for some length of time. 

According to Campbell, a Mr. P , who was the principal 

creditor, had locked up the church and retained the key. It is 
difficult to say who it was that is so mysteriously designated by 
the author of "Desultory Sketches" ; but if the writer may ven- 
ture a guess, he would suggest the name of Mr. Brian Phil- 
pot, Jr., who was a noted broker at that day, and a gentleman 
who had considerable business of a financial nature with the 
church authorities for years after. 

Campbell also states, that through the address of Captain 
Galbraith and his company of volunteer militia, then stationed 
in Baltimore Town, the key was gotten possession of one Sun- 
day morning, and the church reopened permanently , 

]STo report, as far as known, has come down to us of the 
dedicatory celebration; nor can we divine why precisely the 
chapel was put under the invocation of the Prince of the 
Apostles. Perhaps the close proximity of St. Paul's Episcopal 
Church may have in some way suggested the propriety of 
naming the first Catholic temple St. Peter's. Apropos of this 
title, it may be of interest to quote an extract from Eather 
Ashton's correspondence with Bishop Carroll. Speaking in 
reproof of the policy of Napoleon Bonaparte, he exclaims: 
"Who knows but ye Chair of Peter may yet be translated to 



374 OLD ST. PETER'S 

America, and that St. Peter's Church of Baltimore may be 
substituted for St. Peter's of Rome, and that ye Bishop of Bal- 
timore may be identified with ye head of Christ's Church on 
earth !" And who knows but this early surmise may yet one 
day in some manner prove true! 

Treacy ("Old Catholic Maryland") is authority for saying 
that Father Bernard Diderick attended Baltimore and Elk 
Eidge from 1775 to 1784. That this missionary had charge of 
the congregation in Baltimore has never, it seems, been ques- 
tioned. He left the Deer Creek mission late in the year 1774, 
and probably took up his residence with Father Ashton at 
White Marsh. 

Father Diderick (Diedrich), called at times also Father 
Rich, was a Walloon, that is a native of southeastern Belgium ; 
and he was probably selected for the post in Baltimore because 
of his familiarity with the use of French, the language of the 
great body of Acadians. It would seem, however, that in spite 
of such qualification, he was not altogether acceptable to them ; 
for they lodged complaints against him with the Abbe Robin 
(a chaplain in Rochambeau's division of the army) as the Abbe 
himself tells us in his narrative; but the subjects of the com- 
plaint were of a trivial nature. 

It is to be remarked that the Maryland missionaries were, 
as a rule, either Englishmen or natives, many, indeed, the 
noblest sons of Maryland and "to the manor born." The in- 
stance, therefore, of the Belgian was rather an exception, and 
it would seem that the Rev. Father was likewise an exception 
in other respects. A man of fine parts, good and zealous, no 
doubt, he was also choleric and contentious. He opposed the 
erection of a school at Georgetown, and in his opposition to the 
establishment of the sacred episcopacy in this country he was 
yet more pronounced. He even went so far as to draw up a 
memorial and to send it to Rome, protesting against the ap- 
pointment of a bishop. No doubt, he was true to his convictions 
and honest in his opposition ; but, as results have clearly shown, 
he was utterly mistaken. About Christmas, 1782, he seems to 
have relinquished his care of the Baltimore mission. He died 



OLD ST, PETER'S 375 

in September 1793, at Motley Hall, Md., opposite Alex- 
andria, Va. 

Toward the close of the Revolutionary War some French 
troops encamped in "the Forest" north of St. Peter's Church, 
that is, on the very grounds where the Cathedral now stands; 
and Campbell tells us that a on one occasion a grand Mass was 
celebrated with great military pomp. The celebrant was an 
Irish priest, chaplain to General Count de Rochambeau. The 
bands of the French regiments accompanied the sacred serviee 
with solemn music, the officers and soldiers attended in full 
uniform, and a large concourse of the people of the town was 
present." Such display was doubtless very attractive, and may 
have in some degree familiarized the general public with the 
ceremonies of the Church, but the presence of the French 
troops was not in every way beneficial to our holy religion. The 
little colony of Acadians, so zealous heretofore, suffered per- 
ceptibly from the baneful influence exercised upon its members 
through intercourse with bad, irreligious adventurers who were 
among the military, as Rev. Doctor Carroll has left it on record 
in his writings. 

First Resident Pastor. 

Father Diderick had for successor Rev. Charles Sewall, who 
enjoys the unique distinction of being Baltimore's first resident 
priest. The year 1784 is commonly given as the period of his 
arrival, but according to the evidence furnished by the old bap- 
tismal register, still preserved at the Cathedral, it would appear 
that his pastoral administration began as early as December 25, 
1782. In that register, on page 66, Father Beeston, who was 
rector next after Sewall, has recorded and officially signed the 
following note: "The preceding 65 pages were transcribed 
from the original Register of Baptisms kept by my Predecessor, 
the Rev. Charles Sewall. No regular Register of Baptisms was 
kept at this place before the said Rev. Charles Sewall resided 
here." Inasmuch as the first entry is made on Christmas day, 
1782, and others follow closely in regular succession, we have 
reason to conclude that the date 1784, heretofore held as the 



376 OLD ST. PETER'S 

beginning of Father Sewall's term, is erroneous. The latter 
date was probably the year when the church, after extensive 
improvements, was reopened and the priest's dwelling newly 
built was now first occupied. 

Chukch and Pro-Cathedral. 

The new incumbent, as is evident, set to work without delay 
upon remodeling the old chapel, which could now, thanks to 
our political severance from England and the incidental 
religious freedom accruing to us, be converted into a public 
house of worship — a church. 

The improvements made were' considerable. They consisted 
apparently in the extension of the chapel to more than twice its 
former length, and the addition of a presbytery or priest's 
house. Fortunately we are not left wholly in ignorance regard- 
ing the appearance of the little group of buildings then provided. 
A painting executed by Thomas Buckles in 1801, and preserved 
for a great number of years in the Elder family of Baltimore, 
gives us a fair representation of this portion of Saratoga Street 
at that early period. Owing to its age, however, and an in- 
judicious coat of varnish superadded, the picture has become 
very obscure, some of the details being effaced or barely dis- 
cernible. Still upon close scrutiny enough is distinguished 
whereby to form our judgment. 

And first we observe that the bed of the street is at a higher 
level than now. It was in fact as high as and probably even 
higher than the walled-in plots of ground which are still to be 
seen opposite Hotel Rennert. We next perceive that the church 
is a brick structure in two obvious sections, the want of uni- 
formity of line between the old and the more recent, rendering 
each portion quite distinct externally. 

The writer has already stated it as his opinion that the 
original building or chapel fronted on Forest (now Little 
Sharp) Street. When the improvements were now to be under- 
taken it was found advisable to select Saratoga Street for the 
new frontage of the church, for the reason that Forest Street 



- : pi 
1 1 






4. 







OLD ST. PETER'S 377 

was about to be sacrificed to the interest of Liberty Street, and 
from a grand thoroughf are sixty-six feet wide, it was to be con- 
tracted to the present narrow lane known as Little Sharp Street. 

There was, besides, another advantage in the change of 
orientation; it would not only facilitate the use of the wider 
end of the lot, but would also and above all permit the addition 
to be joined to the southern gable end, which being prolonged, 
both sections, old as well as new, would assume more the style 
of a church edifice. 

By reason, probably, of the grade on Little Sharp Street, a 
lower base line, it seems, was adopted for the addition to St. 
Peter's Chapel. This part being planned neither so high nor 
so wide as the original portion, left a conspicuous offset in roof 
and wall. The side elevation shows two rows of windows, the 
upper ones being nearly square, but the lower ones about twice 
the height of the former. Two of the small square windows 
show also in front, and must have afforded light and ventilation 
to the choir gallery; and above these, at but a short distance, 
runs a heavy horizontal molding, which, after having reached 
the eaves, thence ascends to the gable point, forming thus a 
plain triangular cornice. The doorway is pointed and probably 
possessed some slight adornment which is, however, not per- 
ceptible in the picture. 

As for the dimensions of the building, these can be given 
only approximately. The original chapel is said to have 
measured twenty-five by thirty feet, and assuming this estimate 
to be correct, it looks, judging by the painting, as if the addition 
had retained the original width of twenty-five, but had increased 
the length, perhaps some forty feet. Now bearing in mind that 
the new part was joined to the side of the old part, by which 
fact only twenty-five feet of the original space was available, 
we find the total length after the improvement to have been 
sixty, or at most sixty-five feet. Such the dimensions of the 
lowly structure which for a quarter of a century served the 
illustrious Carroll for a Cathedral! Little wonder that he 
should have called it "a paltry one." 

You search the picture in vain for cross, or bell, or even 



378 OLD ST. PETER'S 

chimney; there is not the slightest indication of these on the 
church, and they were evidently not to be seen thereon in the 
year of grace 1801. In aftertimes, however, a small cupola 
with bell was added, and we can not doubt that a cross also 
surmounted this ; but we may rest assured that no chimney ever 
loomed over old St. Peter's ; for the heating of churches is, as 
it were, only of yesterday — a comfort of which our godly and 
not very remote ancestors were wholly ignorant, or seem not to 
have stood in need. 

As regards the arrangement and appearance of the interior, 
a few words must needs be added. The body of the church was 
exceedingly plain and unattractive, according to common 
report. The choir gallery was situated over the entrance, and 
there were also side galleries. These, in an edifice only about 
twenty-five feet wide, must have looked clumsy indeed. 

There is still extant in miniature what is believed to be a 
facsimile of the sanctuary. The little copy appears to be 
modeled on a scale of one inch to the foot, and is probably 
reliable in its main features. Taking it for a guide, we find 
that the sanctuary is neither square nor semicircular in outline, 
but rhomboid, that is, in shape very similar to the outline of 
the upper half of a boy's common kite. Two columns, attached 
to the side walls and supporting some light tracery running 
across the ceiling, seem to separate the sacred precincts from the 
main body of the church, and between them is fixed the balus- 
trade or altar railing, in length measuring about twenty-one 
feet. At these columns the side walls — probably only inside 
partitions — begin to converge toward the rear wall till the 
space between them is contracted to but fourteen feet. Here 
stands the one, plain, wooden altar; the wings of it extending 
to the side walls, the table about seven feet in length, and the 
tabernacle uncommonly high. Above the altar hangs a picture 
of the patron, St. Peter the apostle, and surrounding this there 
is a somewhat elaborate baldachin. There are but two steps of 
ascent, though a bishop's altar has usually four, and the lower 
one, at the gospel side, is extended in such a manner as to serve 
for a platform to the bishop's throne. 



OLD ST. PETER'S 379 

Such apparently was St. Peter's pro-Cathedral in 1801. 
All evidence of beauty and splendor is lacking, and everywhere 
plainness and simplicity reign supreme. 

The brick presbytery serving also later for the archiepiscopal 
residence, was a modest two-story-and-attic building, which 
stood adjacent to the church on the east side, and had between 
fifty and sixty feet frontage on Saratoga Street. In Ruckle's 
picture it has the appearance of having been enlarged, and 
probably it measured but half this length originally. Perhaps 
an addition was built in 1790, when Very Rev. Dr. John Car- 
roll was in England for consecration. 

There was also a God's acre or cemetery about the church, 
which, however, does not appear in the picture. It was located 
mostly on the eastern side, that is, toward Charles Street, but 
some graves were also in front on Saratoga Street, according to 
reliable witnesses. Few people to-day would suspect that graves 
and tombs were once a familiar sight in this fashionable quar- 
ter ; but, in truth, the southwest corner of Charles and Saratoga 
streets was in olden times the only spot at that point not occu- 
pied by a graveyard. Northwest was St. Peter's, up to two 
generations past ; northeast, the German Calvinists' ; and south- 
east, St. Paul's. No wonder that, when in 1800 Dr. Davidge 
erected an anatomical hall on the site now occupied by the 
Hotel Rennert, an outcry should be raised by the neighbors, 
and the populace should demolish the structure. The fear of 
ghouls was too pertinent under such circumstances. The church 
grounds were enclosed by a picket fence on Saratoga Street 
and probably also on Charles Street, but there appears to have 
been a wall of brick or stone on Little Sharp Street. 

Whilst the improvements were in progress the original 
chapel could still be used for services, and the intervening wall 
needed not to be disturbed until the addition was completed. 
When the wall in part was finally removed, it was only necessary 
to turn the altar so as to face the worshipers now assembled in 
the new building, and to erect the partitions mentioned before. 

Father Sewall, as observed already, entered upon his pas- 
torate in Baltimore about Christmas 1782, he being then in the 



380 OLD ST. PETER'S 

fortieth year of his age. He was a native of Maryland and 
connected with the best families of the land, tracing his descent 
back to the Hon. Henry Sewall of Mattapany-Sewall. He had 
a brother also a priest — Eev. Nicholas Sewall — who was 
quite noted in his time and who, having gone abroad for his 
studies, never returned to this country, but labored all his 
priestly life on the English missions. Charles likewise made 
his studies in Europe, as in fact all the Maryland missionaries 
did in those days, but he returned to his native province in 1774. 

Before coming to Baltimore Town he had exercised the holy 
ministry for nearly ten years on the missions in Maryland and 
Pennsylvania, and was therefore well qualified for his new 
charge. Baltimore at that period counted about eight thousand 
inhabitants, and possessed besides St. Peter's, seven other 
churches, representing Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Quakers, 
German Calvinists, Baptists. Lutherans, and Methodists. The 
number of Catholics living within the limits of the town and 
in the environs must have been somewhat near six hundred, for 
the register kept at St. Peter's shows seventy-four baptisms had 
been administered in the course of the year 1784. 

Father Sewall appears to have been of a sweet and placid 
disposition, and known to every one as a good and holy soul; 
he was also a zealous priest, a true and tender friend and a 
polished gentleman. Noted especially for his administrative 
qualities, his abilities as an orator are said by Campbell to have 
been a very moderate." He was, nevertheless, a good English 
scholar, as his many letters still extant amply testify. Camp- 
bell's criticism, too, must not be taken very seriously; he 
probably means only to convey the idea that Father Sewall was 
no orator in comparison with Rev. Dr. John Carroll. That 
ornament and glory of the American Church was indeed head 
and shoulders above his confreres in this and other respects. 

Father Sewall' s pastorate was not without its apportion- 
ment of trials; indeed, he experienced so much difficulty with 
the work in hand that he lost heart for a while, and seriously 
entertained the thought of returning to Conewago, Pa., where 
he had labored for a short period some years before. In this 



" OLD ST. PETER'S 381 

connection it may be interesting to quote the words of the saintly 
Father Pellentz, the pastor then in charge of the Conewago 
mission. "I always thought that he (Father Sewall) could do 
more for God's greater glory and the salvation of souls in Balti- 
more than here. For that reason I advised him in his troubles 
to have patience and courage. To the same intent I called to 
his remembrance that Saints Ignatius and Theresa always ex- 
pected great success when they met with serious obstacles at 
the beginning of a new college or monastery. The hardships 
Mr. Sewall suffered made one think that Baltimore in time will 
be a very flourishing mission." 

Think of it, this was written only a little more than a cen- 
tury ago, and it seemed still questionable then if the Baltimore 
mission would eventually be prosperous ! 

But success was being even then assured by the appointment 
at Rome of Father John Carroll as Prefect- Apostolic, and by 
his coming to Baltimore to make his residence with Father 
Sewall. The latter was also now contented to retain his post, 
and did not resign his charge till the year 1793, when he was 
succeeded by Rev. Francis Beeston. Leaving Baltimore then 
he retired to Bohemia, in Cecil County, and thence, after some 
years, withdrew to St. Thomas' Manor, in Charles County, 
where he continued his labors in spite of increasing bodily in- 
firmities. In a letter to Bishop Carroll he mentions the long 
and fatiguing rides which his reverend assistant was obliged to 
make, and then adds concerning himself: "As for myself, I 
may sing the negro's song, 'Ho, boys, 'most done.' " And in 
another of a later date, after speaking of his sufferings and 
the hardships of long sick-calls, he writes: "Though I am 
broken down with former missionary rides and labors, I will 
go as long as I can, Si adhuc sum necessarius non recuso labo- 
rem." He died November 10, 1806, and lies buried at St. 
Thomas' Manor, in Charles County, within view of the beau- 
tiful Potomac and amidst the hallowed remains of many other 
early missionaries of Maryland. 



382 OLD ST. PETER'S 

By-Events. 

Some events of special interest to the Catholics of Baltimore 
may be briefly noted here, as they transpired jnst prior to, or 
near the time of, Father Sewall's departure. The Sulpicians, 
or French Fathers, as they were then more commonly called, 
arrived in Baltimore in the year 1791, and established them- 
selves in a house designated then "The One Mile Tavern," 
which they converted into home, seminary, and chapel. The 
house stood on Digges' Wagon Road, later known as Hookstown 
Road, but now called Pennsylvania Avenue. The present St. 
Mary's Chapel, however, was not built till many years later. 

In the year 1792, the first step was taken toward erecting 
a chapel in the southeastern part of the town, still known as 
"the Point/ 7 and this movement ultimately resulted in the 
building of St. Patrick's Church. 

In the summer of 1793, about one thousand whites and five 
hundred blacks, all professing the Catholic religion and speak- 
ing the French language, landed in Baltimore. They were 
refugees from the island of San Domingo, and many of them 
took up their residence in town, and thus greatly augmented 
the number of the faithful. Some of the newcomers settled in 
the neighborhood of the seminary and formed a little French 
flock, who worshiped in the chapel for many years. 

Some years later, at the close of the century, the German 
Catholics then resident in town united their efforts and built 
St. John the Evangelist's Church. It stood in close proximity 
to St. Peter's, namely at the corner of Saratoga Street and 
Park Avenue, and its site is now occupied by St. Alphonsus' 
Church. The writer's father was a trustee of the old church, 
and was instrumental in transferring the title of the property 
to the proper church authorities. 

First Bishop. 

Reverend Francis Beeston was the successor of Rev. Charles 
Sewall; but before giving some details of his life it may be 



OLD ST. PETER'S 383 

proper to insert at this point a few observations respecting the 
great and good Father John Carroll, who came to Baltimore to 
make his home with Father Sewall. It is not the writer's pur- 
pose to include in his narrative the distinguished prelates who 
presided over the see of Baltimore in those early days; abler 
pens than his have long since portrayed their lives, and their 
history is known to all. Yet it seems some exception should be 
made here, in favor of a particular mention of Doctor Carroll, 
inasmuch as he, more than the others, was so intimately con- 
nected with old St. Peter's. 

It was in the humble presbytery adjoining the church that 
for more than a quarter century he abode, and finally expired. 
Here he received his visitors and guests, the great and the lowly. 
Here he gave advice and administered consolation; here he 
encouraged, warned, approved, rebuked, as the cases demanded. 
Here he carried on that large and admirable correspondence 
embracing not only this land but also foreign countries. Hence 
he set out by horse on his long journeys, so rough and fatiguing, 
and with prospects of coarse fare and uncomfortable lodgings. 
Here he labored, prayed, and suffered, and proved himself the 
good shepherd that gives his life for his sheep. 

In that "paltry" pro-Cathedral — and never had he any 
other — he held the first synodal meeting of his clergy. With- 
in its sacred precincts the first ordination of priests and con- 
secration of bishop in this country and by him took place. 
Here, too, the first prelates met him and formulated their 
earliest pastoral letter to the faithful of this country. In this 
simple, yet privileged temple he preached those sermons and 
delivered those discourses which attracted large and dis- 
tinguished audiences and which were admired by men of every 
creed and by the freethinker as well. In it, finally, his own 
solemn obsequies took place. 

It was in the winter of 1786-87, that Father Carroll, ap- 
pointed Prefect- Apostolic two years previously, arrived in Bal- 
timore to make his future home at St. Peter's. Though, like 
another Paul, he had the care of all the churches resting on 
him, he did not disdain the humble routine work of the parish, 



384 OLD ST. PETER'S 

and in the intervals between his visitations through his very 
extensive charge, he gave his time freely to whatever ministry 
fell to his lot at home. It is noteworthy that, even when bishop 
and archbishop, his name appears repeatedly as minister of the 
sacrament on the baptismal register ; nor is it only in connection 
with the children of the higher class that this is observed; not 
infrequently the favored subject was the offspring of some plain 
laborer or poor foreigner. His pious and fatherly visits to the 
sick and needy, it is true, are not found recorded here below, 
but they were, no doubt, numerous, and may have often, too, 
partaken of the nature of those made occasionally by the saintly 
Kenrick, one of his illustrious successors, who more than once 
was discovered hurrying in the earliest dawn to some humble 
home in an alley or courtyard. As citizen, he was known as a 
lover and admirer of his country, and he was ever foremost in 
all literary, educational, and philanthropic projects of his day. 
As bishop, he was a father and a model to his clergy, and a true 
shepherd to his flock. He was a sincere friend to all without 
distinction. 

On Sunday, December 3, 1815, this faithful steward of the 
Master surrendered his noble soul to God, in the eightieth year 
of his age, having been priest since 1769, bishop since 1789, 
and archbishop since 1808. 

The second resident rector of St. Peter's, Rev. Francis 
Beeston, arrived in Baltimore early in the spring of 1793, 
coming directly from Bohemia, the old mission in Cecil County, 
to exchange places with Father Sewall. He was an English- 
man, having been born of Catholic parents in Lincolnshire, in 
the year 1751, and was consequently in the forty-second year 
of his age. Previous to his charge of Bohemia, he had exercised 
his holy ministry for four years in Philadelphia. 

Of a cheerful disposition, open and frank, he was esteemed 
excellent company and was himself very fond of good com- 
panionship. But he was noted especially for his assiduity in 
the performance of his priestly duties, and this with his other 
virtuous traits won for him the confidence of his bishop and the 
attachment and love of his people. Particularly devoted to the 



OLD ST. PETER'S 385 

sick, when pestilence was stalking through the town he was seen 
night and day at the bedside of the stricken, comforting them 
and preparing them to meet their Judge. He twice contracted 
that terrible scourge of earlier days, yellow fever, and was 
brought to death's door, but no sooner had he recovered, when 
he hastened to offer anew the consolations of religion to those 
still suffering. 

After sixteen years of strenuous labor at St. Peter's, he 
died suddenly, toward the close of December, 1809, in the 
fifty-ninth year of his age, greatly lamented by the venerable 
archbishop and by all the people. 

Archbishop Carroll had asked for Rev. Enoch Fenwick, a 
member of the Society of Jesus, then recently revived, and upon 
the death of Father Beeston, appointed him rector of St. Peter's. 
Father Fenwick continued in office for ten years, when he was 
recalled by the Superior of his order and made president of 
Georgetown College. 

Descended from Cuthbert Fenwick, one of the illustrious 
pilgrims of Maryland, Rev. Enoch Fenwick was born in lower 
Maryland, St. Mary's County, in 1780. He was ordained priest 
by Bishop Leonard ISTeale at Georgetown in 1808. His brother 
Benedict, who was ordained at the same time, afterward became 
Bishop of Boston, while still another brother, called George, 
also embraced the clerical life. 

Father Enoch Fenwick, says one of his biographers, "in 
person was tall and straight, a finished gentleman of elegant 
manners." He was the friend and companion of the venerable 
Archbishop in his declining years, and was with him to comfort 
and console him in his dying hour. He continued in charge of 
St. Peter's during the short term of Archbishop Neale's ad- 
ministration, and the first years of Archbishop Marechal's 
tenure of office. He took a special interest in the building of 
the new Cathedral, and for many years was very active in 
collecting funds for its completion. He died at Georgetown on 
November 25, 1827, and his remains repose there in the college 
cemetery. 



386 OLD ST. PETER'S 



The New Cathedral. 

The site of the new Cathedral, of which mention was just 
made, was after much discussion selected by Archbishop Car- 
roll and purchased from Colonel John Eagar Howard. It was 
almost within a stone's throw of old St. Peter's, directly north 
of it, and just on the summit of the hill. The corner-stone of 
the basilica was laid on the 7th of July, 1806. The work of 
construction progressed slowly till 1812, when it was entirely 
suspended, to be resumed, however, three years later. The 
dedication took place in 1821, on the 31st day of May. A full 
history of the Cathedral was published in 1906, in connection 
with the centennial celebration that year. 

Upon the elevation of Doctor Whitfield to the archiepisco- 
pal chair, his faithful assistant at St. Peter's, Kev. Roger 
Smith, was promoted to the rectorship, being the fifth in suc- 
cession after Father Sewall. He was a native of Maryland, 
born in Frederick County in 1790, and was of distinguished 
lineage. His father was Henry Smith, a cousin of Capt. John 
Smith of the American Revolution, and his mother, before mar- 
riage, was Catherine Queen, a granddaughter of Colonel Ed- 
ward Pye. He was closely connected with such noted old 
Maryland families as the Brookes, Whartons, Doynes, Sewalls, 
ISTeales, Fenwicks, and Taneys. His preparatory studies for 
the priesthood were made in part at Mount St. Mary's College, 
Emmittsburg, but principally at St. Mary's Seminary in Balti- 
more, where also he was ordained on October 2, 1815. 

St. Ignatius' Church, now called "The Hickory," but in 
Father Smith's time, and for a quarter century after, better 
known under the name Bel Air, was his first appointment — 
an appointment still made by Archbishop Carroll. This charge 
was a specially arduous one at that period, because a number of 
outer missions or congregations, some of them widely sundered, 
were attached to the head church, and because for two years 
the reverend pastor was obliged to continue his residence in 
Baltimore at the seminary, for the reason that no home was 



OLD ST. PETER'S 387 

provided for him in his parish. Those outer missions included 
Carroll's or Doughoregan Manor; Williamson's Chapel, near 
Pikesville; Hunter's or Jenkins' Chapel, Long Green Valley; 
Captain Macatee's, or the Barrens, now Pylesville; Priestford, 
Deer Creek; Havre de Grace; and Conewingo, in Cecil 
County. 

Late in the summer of 1820, he was transferred to St. 
Peter's, where, it appears, he continued his residence ever after. 
He died April 3, 1833, aged forty-three years. 

Father Roger Smith was earnest, zealous, and straightfor- 
ward in all his doings, and though of slight frame and delicate 
constitution was very successful in his ministry, being inde- 
fatigable in the work of his sacred calling. He was dis- 
tinguished for his strong Christian faith, his simplicity of life 
and his all-embracing charity. He was the founder of a bene- 
volent organization, "The Charitable Belief Society," estab- 
lished in 1827, which had for its object to befriend the poor 
and the afflicted, regardless of all distinctions as to denomina- 
tion, age, sex, or color. "Equally dear to him, as in the sight 
of God, the salvation of the slave and his master, he was every- 
where ready with his word of encouragement or reproof. The 
wealthy did homage to his virtue and the poor had the Gospel 
preached to them." 

His remains rest in Bonnie Brae Cemetery, and on his 
tomb are engraven these appreciative words: "He died a Mar- 
tyr of his Zeal and Charity." 

Bev. Edward Damphoux, D.D., the archbishop's secretary, 
became rector next in turn, and, like his predecessor in that 
office, he is believed to have made his residence mostly at St. 
Peter's. 

He was already in deacon's order when as a young man he 
left France in company with Bev. Ambrose Marechal, who was 
for a second time embarking for Maryland. Ordained priest 
two years later, that is, in 1814, and having joined the Sul- 
picians, he was professor, and also, for nine years, president of 
St. Mary's College, then attached to the Baltimore Seminary. 
He became assistant at the Cathedral in 1829, and upon the 



388 OLD ST. PETER'S 

death of Rev. Roger Smith, he was promoted to the rectorship, 
which office he held till 1839. 

Doctor Damphoux interested himself greatly in the welfare 
of old St. Peter's, which was, so to speak, rejuvenated under 
his fostering care, and whose old parishioners were devotedly 
attached to the Rev. Father in spite of his French accent and 
some eccentricity of manner, for which he was noted. 

After leaving St. Peter's he lived in South Baltimore, where 
he built old St. Joseph's Church in 1839. Ten years after, 
when very much broken in health, he resigned this charge and 
for a while said Mass in a little oratory built in Mr. Frederick 
Crey's yard on Madison Street, near Jones Falls, and is said to 
have also attended the chapel of the Carmelite Nuns an Ais- 
quith Street. He died in the seventieth year of his age, 
August 7, 1860. 

Rev. Dr. Damphoux is believed to have been the last of the 
rectors who made their residence at St. Peter's ; his immediate 
successors, Rev. Thomas Butler and Rev. Charles I. White, 
lived in the archbishop's house, and their ministry appears to 
have been confined to the Cathedral. The venerable old church 
and the faithful still worshiping there were at that time, how- 
ever, in good and zealous hands, the care of them being assigned 
to the assistant rector, Rev. Peter Stanislaus Schreiber. 

This estimable priest was a native of Baltimore, born in 
1803, and of German extraction, though, it is said, he spoke 
German quite indifferently. Having completed his clerical 
studies at St. Mary's Seminary, he was ordained priest in 1827, 
and assigned as help to St. Patrick's Church, Washington, D.C. 
He next became pastor of St. Peter's Church, Richmond, Va., 
then under the administration of the Archbishop of Baltimore. 
Sent again to Washington, he was made pastor of St. Peter's 
Church in that city, whence he was called back to Baltimore in 
1833, and appointed to assist Rev. Dr. Damphoux in the in- 
creasing work at old St. Peter's. 

Here he set to work with unabated ardor, laboring with 
scrupulous fidelity till the final closing of the church in 1841. 
ISTow transferred to St. Vincent's, Baltimore, first in the capacity 



OLD ST. PETER'S 389 

of assistant, but afterward advanced to the position of pastor, 
he was overtaken by a fatal illness six months after his late 
promotion, and expired September 8, 1845. 

Father Schreiber was greatly admired for his simplicity of 
life and the conscientious discharge of the duties of his sacred 
calling. He was much beloved and held in high esteem by the 
people. The writer remembers, when a child, frequently hear- 
ing appreciative and affectionate mention made of this venerable 
priest by his parents, who in years before had often been devout 
worshipers in old St. Peter's. 

This holy man of God was of a rather timid and retiring 
nature. In one of his letters to the archbishop he mentions his 
great aversion to the soliciting of contributions for the Church, 
saying he would much rather himself give than ask of others. 
He was buried at the seminary, though not a Sulpician, and 
his ashes are mingled with those of his pious instructors — 
the godly sons of Father Olier. 

A brief mention may here be made of the other reverend 
assistants; some, who afterward became rectors, have already 
been noticed. One, who at first was assistant, became later not 
only rector, but even the head of the diocese; this was Most 
Rev. James Whitfield, the fourth incumbent in the See of Bal- 
timore. He was assistant from 1818 to 1820, rector till 1828, 
and archbishop till 1834. 

Eev. Dr. Matthew O'Brien, a Dominican, was stationed at 
St. Peter's from 1809 till 1811, when he was transferred to Ozuu tprr 
Philadelp hia*. He returned to Baltimore where he died in 
1815, aged 65 years. 

Reverend Fr. Ryan succeeded to Father O'Brien, but held 
the appointment only for some months in 1812. 

Rev. Samuel S. Burgess came in 1819, and stayed till 1821. 
He was an English Franciscan. 

In 1831, Rev. Arthur Wainright, also an Englishman, was 
appointed to aid Rev. Roger Smith, after whose decease he left 
Baltimore and went to Pottsville, Pa., where he was pastor of 
St. Patrick's Church. He died about 1839. 

Rev. Dr. Charles C. Pise, assistant at St. Peter's from 1827 



f 



390 OLD ST. PETER'S 

to 1832, was one of the most noted priests in this country in 
his day. Born at Annapolis, Md., in 1801, he, while a student 
at Georgetown College, became a member of the Society of 
Jesus. Sent to Rome to prosecute his studies, he severed his 
connection with the Society before receiving priesthood. He 
was ordained in 1825, at Baltimore, and sent to Washington. 
It was whilst stationed at St. Matthew's Church that he acted 
as chaplain to the United States Senate. After five years spent 
at St. Peter's in Baltimore, he visited Rome a second time and 
there won, amid great applause, the degree of Doctor of Di- 
vinity and other high honors. He now affiliated himself with 
the diocese of New York and after filling several appointments 
died in 1858, as pastor of the Church of St. Charles Borromeo, 
Brooklyn. 

Dr. Pise was a man highly gifted, a brilliant orator, an able 
and refined controversialist, and an elegant writer whose books 
were widely read and admired. 

It was but natural that St. Peter's — the "paltry" pro- 
Cathedral — should be mightily overshadowed by the grand 
basilica erected on the crown of the hill. Upon the dedication 
and opening of the latter the venerable old shrine was for some 
years mostly used as a chapel, where indeed the sacraments 
were still administered and also the daily Mass was continued, 
but where the more solemn offices of the Church ceased to be 
performed. Some of the clergy continued to reside in the old 
presbytery, but Archbishop Marechal, finding it more con- 
venient to live closer to the new temple, occupied a house stand- 
ing on the eastern limits of the old grounds and fronting on 
Charles Street, and situated about midway between Saratoga 
Street and Little Pleasant Street. The archiepiscopal residence, 
now the cardinal's, was not built till 1829. 

The eclipse suffered by old St. Peter's was only partial. 
About the year 1829 the regular Sunday services were resumed, 
and although the chapel was but an adjunct to the Cathedral, 
which, spacious as it was, could not accommodate the increasing 
number of worshipers, it served to all purpose and intent as a 
parochial church up to the day of its final demolition. 



OLD ST. PETER'S 391 

In 1839 the church was renovated and a new organ pur- 
chased for the choir ; but this was only like the vanishing glory 
of the sunset. Only two years later, in 1841, Father Schreiber, 
the faithful attendant, was withdrawn, the sacred edifice closed, 
and an order issued that the site be at once cleared and gotten 
in readiness for a new structure — a Catholic school and place 
of assembly — Calvert Hall. 

Thus passed away from our eyes, speedily and for ever, this 
primitive shrine — the lowly cradle of Catholicity in Balti- 
more — but the memory thereof should live, and the story 
thereof be told as long as Catholics abide in the land. 



DEC 14 1910 



